Moving Up
by Breezy.202
Summary: Matt and Mello are just moving in, when Rodger gives them a call to see how they're settling in and give them a little surprise. MattxMello, fluff, eventual smut, will update with new chapters regularly!
1. Chapter 1

Matt had always felt a certain closeness to Mello. His feelings sat on the brink of friendly and romantic, despite them being non-reciprocal on Mello's part. So while the two being privately homed together- on Roger's recommendation- seemed almost a natural progression of their relationship to Matt, the growing pains were especially difficult for his new roommate.

"Are you all unpacked?" Matt asked quietly, watching his friend putter around the apartment.

"No. Your shit is everywhere, there's no space for mine." Mello replied with a grimace.

"I didn't think I had that much stuff. You brought twice what I did."

The grimace stretched further across Mello's face. His gaze spoke for itself, prompting Matt to turn away from him.

A vibration in Matt's pocket followed by a shrill bell-type sound broke the quiet of the room. Startled, he quickly retrieved his cell phone, answering it.

"Hello? ...Yes, we're settling in fine, thanks. No, no, it's not too small... What? What do you mean? ...Okay, and what does that do? ...OH. Uhm, you may want to speak with Mello about this as well. Y-yes, he's right here." Matt was thoroughly flushed by now, reaching the phone out to Mello.

"What is it?"

"Ah, Mello, good to hear you're still yourself." Roger's pleasantly perky voice responded. "I've just let Matt know about this, but Wammy and I were looking over the Wammy House budget. Considering the costs of the apartment you and Matt are staying in, we're going to have to find a few ways to save a little here and there. With that in mind, we've concluded that Matt and yourself entering into a civil union would offer considerable benefits to the Wammy house budget."

"Excuse me?!" Mello's voice rose in both octaves and volume. Matt studied his reaction carefully, hesitant to express his excitement.

"A civil union! I understand that you're barely an adult and Matt is still a month away from his eighteenth birthday, but as both of your legal guardians we'll willingly give consent. I urge you to consider this carefully Mello, it would benefit the Wammy house budget and nothing would truly have to change between Mello and yourself."

He paused. Taking a breath in and exhaling dramatically. "Fine." He thrust the phone back into Matt's hands and hurriedly marched away.

"Well, Mello seems to be alright with it, so what do we need to do?" Matt asked into the phone meekly.

"I'll come by tomorrow with the papers. You and your future partner take today to get settled in. Take care! See you soon!"

Mat slowly clicked his phone shut and put it away. His head was hot and his heart beating faster than he thought possible.


	2. Chapter 2

A blonde staring intently, a slightly quivering redhead, and a greyed man all sat at the kitchen table. A small stack of papers sat at the centre, the focus of everybody's gazes. Roger looked back and forth between Matt and Mello, a quaint smile on his face.

"The Justice of the Peace will be here soon, are you two excited to be married?"

A jolt shocked through Matt's spine, sitting him up completely straight. Simultaneously, a forced heavy exhale crumpled Mello at his waist.

"It's not a marriage," Mello snapped. "It's a civil union. Completely different."

"Right, right, I guess I'm just a little traditional. What with my age and all." Roger's smile never faltered. "But at least try to look like you're excited or at least content. They'll doubt the legitimacy of your vows if you don't."

Huffing loudly, Mello leaned back into his chair. A buzz of the intercom followed shortly after, quickly shifting the focus to the door.

Matt held his right wrist in his left hand, flexing it back and forth. He was completely sick of his legal name and his handwriting. The Justice of the Peace was finally finishing up signing his portion of the documents, as was Mello and Roger. The room had been silent nearly the whole time, awkward looks exchanged throughout.

"Well, congratulations you two. I now pronounce you life partners." The man announced with his hand on the stack of signed papers, looking at the young couple expectantly. They stared back, both not quite catching on right away. Matt straightened his posture as he realised what the man was implying, and turned quickly to Mello. He looked back, eyeing Matt up and down. Mello inhaled, expanding his chest, closing his eyes, and leaned in to Matt, planting a firm but quick kiss on his lips. Recoiling as if the kiss were a slap, Mello scooted away on his chair and turned the other cheek, staring down at the ground.

"Th-thank you." A blush nearly as red as his hair, Matt dismissed the Justice of the Peace and watched him collect the documents and make his way out.

"Well isn't this exciting! I wasn't aware you had a relationship like that. That might explain why you didn't hesitate in agreeing to this, Mello." Roger commented.

The newly united couple sat in silence, poses mirroring eachother. Face red, head down, hands in lap.

"Alright, I'll allow you two some privacy. Don't hesitate to call. I'll check in with you again on your birthday, Matt. Take care." Roger excused himself, fixing his jacket and making his way out, leaving Matt and Mello completely alone.

The silence hung heavy in the air.

"I'm going to cook some supper soon," Mello stood from his chair, Matt looking up at him. "It'll be lasagna, I don't know if you like that or not. You can have some when it's done." While the offer was genuine, the tone was cold and detached.

"Thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

"Wake up, asshole." Mello prodded Matt harshly, causing him to wriggle and pull at his blanket defensively. It was dark throughout the apartment, the only light coming from the television across the room.

A small groan, and Matt removed his face from where the couch cushions met the back rest. "Wha's wrong...?" He grumbled, opening an eye and pulling his blanket up to cover his bare chest.

"Don't do that, you're not a girl," Mello scolded. "and you left the TV on again. Maybe that's why you sleep so shitty, you're always in front of a screen. Melatonin only replenishes itself in the dark, you know." He was lecturing again. First it was about laundry not in the hamper, then taking up too much bathroom counter space, then forgetting to knock on the bedroom door, now this. He searched the floor around the couch for the remote.

"You sound like a housewife. Don't worry so much." Sitting up, Matt reached over the arm rest and retrieved the remote. Mello scowled, snatching it from his hand.

"Don't test me." He flicked the TV off. The room went dark and quiet.

Matt got settled back into his couch bed, anticipating hearing the thumping footsteps of Mello retreating back to the bedroom. When none came, he listened more closely. "You going back to bed or what?" He asked after a brief moment's pause. The silence continued. "...Mels?" Another pause. He heard a small exhale, and two footsteps that came closer.

"Why do you sleep out here?" Matt felt hands press down on the cushion closest to his head and rest there, followed by two soft thumps on the floor; knees maybe?

"Because I know you need your space...?" Matt's reply sounded like an implication that it was common sense.

"I didn't say that you couldn't sleep in the same room as me. There's only one room, do you really think I'd be that much of an asshole to not share it? I mean, screw off when I tell you to screw off, but I'm not gonna force you to sleep on a couch forever."

"It's okay, I've been doing it since we moved in, I can keep doing it."

"A week is too long already. You don't think I'd notice how you switched your short showers for long baths after the first two nights? Sleeping there is messing up your back."

"... Yeah, I guess. But we can do this later, okay? Just let me get back to sleep." Matt pulled the blanket up over his shoulders.

He heard Mello let out a huff. "Fine. I offer up my bedroom and you choose the couch." He felt Mello take his hands off the couch and a small breeze of air, presumably from him standing up. "If you come in later, don't wake me up." Matt could hardly contain his chuckles. The thumping of Mello walking off and dramatically closing the bedroom door put the cherry on the cake.

"What a brat." Matt laughed to himself, collecting himself and his bedding and walking down the hallway to the bedroom.

He opened the door, a small bedside lamp giving a corner of the room light. Mello had already settled into bed, and was adjusting his duvet carefully when he acknowledged Matt's entrance. "You can have the other side of the bed. Also, I don't share my blanket."

"S'alright, I have my own." Matt had himself wrapped in it, his pillow clutched between his blanket-covered hands. Shuffling his way to the bed, Mello watched him intently as he got settled in. "G'night, Mihael." He sighed, his back facing away from his bed-mate.

Mello paused, taken a bit aback by the use of his legal name. "Good night, Mail." He reached over and shut off the bedside lamp.

...

The sun peeking through the bedroom blinds burned through Matt's eyelids. He reached over to cover his eyes with his arm, but alas, he was already awake. Rolling his shoulders and stretching his pelvis back, he was met with resistance. Startled, Matt recoiled quickly and pulled away. Turning over, he was greeted by a mess of blonde hair, closed eyes, and soft puffs of breath. "... Mello?"

Mello replied with a grumble, wrapping his arms tighter around Matt's waist. This time, pulling him close enough that their stomachs touched. Matt flinched, holding his hands up and staring at him. His blanket had been kicked down to his feet, Mello's seemed to have been ditched on the other side of the bed. Rightfully so, they must've kept the heat on way too high last night. Carefully, Matt began to inch his way out of Mello's arms and onto the floor beside the bed. Considering both him and Mello has a misting of sweat from overheating through the night, sliding out of his grasp was a simple task. Mello didn't wake, just pulled his arms closer in on himself and nuzzled into the pillows.

Matt peeked over the bed, watching the rare sight of Mello with his guard down. He was quite small for his age, not to mention thin; he looked more like a young girl than a young man. A corner of the top sheet was all the covered Mello's lower half, that too wet with perspiration. When he decided to turn over onto his back, however, most of the coverage was lost.

"Of course Mello would sleep in the nude!" Matt whispered to himself, hurriedly removing himself from the bedroom. His face was flushed, embarassed for himself as well as his partner.

...

Author's notes: So much for "updating regularly", huh? After a bit of a bumpy start, I'm really glad to be getting back into this work. I like writing longer chapters like this! I got a few favorites and a comment on my last two chapters, I guess that was the motivation to get me to write this next one; actual real life readers asked for more! Haha, please enjoy the third chapter of hopefully many more to come. :)


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